Mirror Image
by Vendelle
Summary: This is my answer to the Twin Challenge set by avataris leonis on WIKTT. Snape's twin comes to work at Hogwarts and of course this causes mayhem all around. WARNING: this is an HGSS story, so if you don't like those, please don't read this. The rating may
1. chapter 1

Title: Mirror Image

Author: Adora

Disclaimer: All characters (save Sylvester) are J.K. Rowling's creations. No infringement is intended. I don't make any money with this. I only write for the enjoyment of myself and my readers (also, it keeps me off the street grins).

Author's notes: This fanfic is my response to the Twin Challenge, issued by avataris leonis on WIKTT. Enjoy! This is my first HG/SS fic, so please keep that in mind when you read this. Reviews are always welcome of course, both positive and negative.

I would like to thank Maria, Lori, sariling and SusanPW for beta-reading. Thanks for your wonderful advice regarding this story!

__

"There are two things in life for which we are never truly prepared: Twins." Josh Billings

Chapter 01:

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts."

Hermione smiled as she heard Professor Dumbledore speak those by now so familiar words. She knew exactly what was going to happen next, since she had heard it all six years before: the Headmaster would announce that the Forbidden Forest still is out-of-bounds, that magic in the corridors is strictly forbidden, and that everyone should enjoy the feast. She had already looked over the people seated at the High Table and as she had seen all teachers present, she knew there weren't going to be any introductions tonight.

As it turned out, she had miscalculated the number of announcements a little. After his usual speech on the rules of Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore continued: "Most of you have heard those pearls of wisdom for the last few years, but apart from that, I have something of another nature to tell. During the summer, Professor Flitwick announced that he would like to retire at the end of the spring term. Since the position of Charms teacher at this school is linked to the position of Head of Ravenclaw, both Professor Flitwick and myself thought it wise to give our new Charms teacher the time to adjust to his tasks one by one. I had intended to introduce your new Charms teacher to you tonight, but unfortunately, he has been delayed. Rest assured that you will all meet him when..."

Professor Dumbledore didn't get to finish his sentence because right at that moment the door to the Great Hall opened with a resounding bang. Every head in the Hall snapped round to see who had dared to interrupt Professor Dumbledore's speech.

"Someone, get Madam Pomfrey." Ron whispered, suddenly looking pale around the nose. "I-I think I'm seeing double... " On Hermione's other side she could hear Neville whimper: "Kill me, kill me now..."

A lone comment came from the High Table, only audible to those seated close to the one muttering. "Ah, it's the Yeti," the Potions Master said scathingly before turning his attention to the ceiling.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Professor Snape," Professor Dumbledore said happily. He was clearly enjoying the confusion. "I was just about to postpone my introduction of you to the students, to wait for your arrival."

"How wonderful," the new Professor spat as he thrust his umbrella, which had a black handle in the shape of a serpent, into Filch's hands. "You will have to excuse my apparel, Dumbledore. The road towards your school seems to have gained some concealed quagmires since I last visited it." Indeed the man looked as if he had rolled around on the ground. He was almost completely covered in mud. Hermione secretly wondered why he hadn't used a charm to dry and clean himself, but she quickly pushed that thought aside when Professor Dumbledore began to speak once more.

"Perhaps you would like to be shown to your quarters so you can freshen up a bit?"

Professor Snape (the new one) shook his head. "I'd rather eat first if that's all right sir. I'm famished."

"Very well," Dumbledore nodded and turned to address the students.

"Everyone, please welcome Professor Sylvester Snape, our new Charms teacher." The staff and the few students who had already recovered from the shock of seeing someone who looked exactly like their Potions Master clapped. It took only a few seconds for the applause to die out, after which Professor Dumbledore commented with a twinkle in his eye: " For those of you who are curious: Professor Sylvester Snape is indeed Professor Severus Snape's twin brother."

Both Professors Snape were giving him murderous stares behind his back, but the Headmaster didn't seem to notice. He just beamed at the students before saying: "Now, with the introductions over, let the feast begin!"


	2. chapter 2

__

Author's note: for disclaimer, please see chapter 1

Chapter 02:

When the students arrived in the Great Hall the next morning, it was easy to see that the arrival of the new Professor Snape had been discussed for a long time in every common room, except for Slytherin's. While _they_ looked wide-awake and happier than they'd been in a long while, the rest of the students clearly hadn't had enough sleep. They were constantly yawning and some of them seemed to have trouble staying awake. Neville even literally fell asleep over his breakfast and only Hermione's attentiveness prevented him from falling face down in a bowl of porridge.

When they had gotten their timetables, the trio checked them to see what their day was going to be like.

"Fuck, fuckity fuck fuck!" Ron exclaimed.

"Ron!" Hermione scolded, looking angry. "Don't use that sort of language in front of everyone. You still have to set an example for the first years', even if you aren't a Prefect anymore."

Ron shrugged and said: "You'd say exactly the same thing if you were me. Have you checked your timetable yet? We have double Charms and double Potions this morning. Not really a good start of my day, two Snapes in a row."

"That may be so, but that still doesn't mean you have to use that kind of language," Hermione bristled. "Besides, no-one put you up to taking Potions. You did that all by yourself when you decided you wanted to become an Auror."

On the other side of the castle, Professor Severus Snape was getting himself worked up for his annual "bottle fame, brew glory" speech, or, as he sometimes called it in the privacy of his own mind, the "scare the first years' shitless" speech. It was never very difficult for him to get himself in the right frame of mind. In fact, it had always sort of come naturally to him to be pissed off at his students. This year he had had even less trouble getting worked up, thanks to his "little brother" (he was Sylvester's senior by 13 minutes). Severus couldn't begin to imagine what had possessed Dumbledore when he had decided to hire Sylvester, but it was even more difficult for him to understand why Sylvester had felt the need to accept the job. If the boy had any luck he'd survive the first week, but Severus was sure Sylvester wouldn't last much longer.

But what angered Severus the most was that Sylvester seemed to want to lay a personal claim on Severus's evening hours. Over the years Severus had gotten quite attached to those solitary moments in which he would read up on new developments in potion making, or would go for a stroll. Last night at the feast, however, Sylvester had been insisting they spend their evenings together. "For old times' sake," Sylvester had said. Severus had answered that he'd rather eat scorpions than spend one evening in the company of his brother.

As he was busy recalling this, he walked down towards the dungeons. He smiled grimly when several first years' jumped several feet as he slammed the door. _Let the games begin_, he thought as he took a deep breath.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. "There will be no foolish wand waving in this class, so many of you will find it difficult to believe this is magic. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew gl-" Severus broke off as the door of the classroom opened.

"Good mo-"

"WHAT do you think you are doing here Sylvester? You are interrupting my class," Severus fumed. "Unless someone has died, remove yourself from this room before I dso it for you."

Sylvester looked slightly taken aback. As he moved to leave the classroom again, he muttered something about coming back later.

Severus couldn't resist yelling: "Appointments must be made at least 24 hours in advance!" at the retreating figure. Still very angry, he snapped back at the students. "Get your quills out and copy down what I'm about to tell you. NOW!"


	3. chapter 3

Chapter 03:

"Severus, I'm really sorry I have to say this of a relative of yours, but your brother is a nightmare!" Professor McGonagall said the moment the Head of House meeting had started.

Severus looked only mildly interested.

"What did he do, Minerva?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"As you know, Albus, he was observing my class today and offered to walk around in class helping students who are, shall we say, less understanding of the subject matter. Well, next thing I know, he had completely charmed everything in the classroom to fly, including the students, and so far he hasn't been able to put a stop to it yet. I already asked Filius, but he said he couldn't do anything."

Professor Flitwick nodded at this. "Apparently he used a spell I don't know, because the normal reversal spells don't seem to work."

Severus smiled grimly. "I told you he'd be no good for this school, but you all chose to ignore my advice. Now you'll have to live with the consequences."

"Albus, you have to do something," Professor Sprout chimed in. "All the staff are complaining and he has only been here one week!"

"That is exactly why I won't do anything," Professor Dumbledore answered. "Teacher's first evaluations are at Christmas. But even if it were otherwise, I would not do anything. I feel we should give Sylvester a proper chance. We all know how difficult that first week is, and I'm sure he'll get over it once he gets used to teaching. We've got to give him time."

No one said anything to that, but it was clear that none of the other Heads of House, except for Professor Flitwick perhaps, agreed with their Headmaster.

"Today I will teach you how to cast the Glamour Charm." Sylvester said as he paced the classroom. "The Glamour Charm is a charm that will alter your physical appearance. It does not make you look like someone else, like the Polyjuice Potion my brother no doubt told you about. It simply changes the way you look. The incantation for the spell is 'Glamourus Totalis' for a full glamour or 'Glamourus Partiale' for a partial glamour."

At this, Neville raised his hand apprehensively. "Sir... shouldn't that be 'Glamourus Partialis?' " he said softly.

Professor Snape ignored Neville's comment and continued lecturing. "The wand movement consists of two circular movements in the direction of the person who wants to look different. The first circle should be drawn as you say the second syllable of – yes, Miss Granger?" for Hermione had raised her hand and coughed pointedly.

"Professor, I think Neville is right," she said. "You just said that the incantation is 'Glamourus Partiale', but like Neville said, it ought to be 'Glamourus Partialis'."

Sylvester sneered at her. "Miss Granger, I do _not_ want to be interrupted by you _ever_ again, **_especially_** when all you want to do is show off in front of your classmates. I do not want to hear another word from you anymore, apart from when you are going to practise this spell. Last time I checked, _I_ was the Charms teacher here and while I am well aware of your reputation as this schools' most brainy know-it-all _ever_, I am quite sure that the incantation is 'Glamourus Partialis', like I said in the first place.

Hermione looked down at her parchment, shaking in anger, too furious even to cry. The looks the Gryffindor part of the students was giving Professor Snape were murderous, but the Slytherins were grinning from ear to ear.

"Everyone get your wands out. Observe how I do it and then try it for yourself in the mirrors I provided for you."

Sylvester whipped out his own wand. "Now, as I was saying before Miss Granger interrupted me so rudely, you draw the first circle on the second syllable of the first word. The second circle should be drawn on the stressed syllable of the second word. Remember to think of how you want the other person to look after your spell, or it could go horribly wrong."

He looked around. "Ah, Miss Parkinson, are you ready to become a purple-haired beauty queen for a while?"

Pansy nodded eagerly. "Yes, Professor."

Sylvester made a show of thinking. In the end, he opened his eyes. "Glamourus Partiale!" he said, drawing the circles with his wand. Immediately, Pansy's face started to change, but unfortunately for her, the change was not for the better. Her hair grew to the ground and became a pale green colour. Her skin turned purple with yellow spots and her nose grew until it reached past her table.

"This is the effect of bad spellcasting," Sylvester said as everyone started laughing. He said it as if he had meant for it to happen, but his cheeks coloured slightly. "Not to worry, Miss Parkinson, we will get you back to normal soon enough."

The Gryffindors laughed so hard that Sylvester's words could barely be heard. Hermione didn't laugh as much as the others, but she couldn't resist giving Neville a smug look.

"Miss Granger," Sylvester said threateningly. "Wipe that grin off your face and come over here this instant."

When Hermione was standing in the centre of the room, Sylvester walked to the seat she had occupied and sat down.

"Since you were so sure of yourself earlier, I will give you the chance to prove yourself. Cast a total glamour on yourself and dazzle us with your intelligence."

Hermione turned to the mirror that was standing next to her and looked at herself. She slowly raised her wand and took a deep, calming breath. She knew Sylvester wasn't giving her a chance to prove she was right. He was only trying to make her look like a fool. This was war, and she knew she didn't stand much of a chance of coming out on top. She could cast a perfect Glamour Charm, but Sylvester wasn't going to acknowledge it.

"Tut tut, taking a nap, are we?" Sylvester interrupted her thoughts. "Or are you scared perhaps?"

Hermione didn't answer him, but simply said "Glamourus Totalis" while making the wand movements.

The next moment, she started growing. Her hair lost its frizziness and gained curls. Her eyes became a deep blue and her hands turned into the slender hands of a ballet dancer.

The Gryffindors cheered and Hermione smiled happily. She didn't even care when Sylvester took points from Gryffindor for making such a noise. She was just very happy that she hadn't ended up like Pansy, who had been turned normal again and was now glaring at both Sylvester and her.

"Mr. Potter, _do_ pay attention today. We are going to work on something that is bound to come up on your NEWTs, and you are _not_ going to be my first student to fail."

Harry glared at the Potions Master, but said nothing. Six years of experience had taught him that Snape liked nothing better than to give him detention, and Harry didn't feel like rising to the bait.

Severus flicked his wand at the blackboard. "Instructions are on the board, you may begin."

He was about to sit down when there was a knock on the door. Sylvester walked in quietly and closed the door behind him. "Hello Severus," he said. "I trust you got my letter?"

Severus nodded curtly. "You may observe, but Sylvester: Don't. Touch. Anything."

Sylvester smiled. "I wouldn't dream of it, brother. Is there anyone in particular I should observe?"

"Miss Granger may be able to finish her potion even if you watch her," Severus replied and turned away.

"Well, well, well, Miss Granger, I see you've been able to charm my brother with your talent in potions brewing," Sylvester said smirking. "Tell me, what are you making? Why are you cutting everything so small? Why are you washing everything before putting it in the cauldron? Why-"

"Sylvester, do be quiet." Severus snapped. "Miss Granger has to be able to concentrate, as do the others. They might do something wrong and set the class on fire if you keep talking so much."

Sylvester held up his hands apologizingly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I won't say another word," he whispered, approaching his brother. As he whipped round to stare at Hermione once more, he somehow managed to bump into her arm. Unfortunately, this meant that instead of the three drops of beetle juice she was supposed to add, the whole bottle fell into the cauldron.

Severus, who had seen the whole thing happen, was out of his chair and on his way towards her immediately, but before he had taken two steps, the contents of Hermione's cauldron exploded. Both Sylvester and Severus had the presence of mind to duck under the tables, but everyone else was splattered in the potion. Hermione got a face full of the stuff and tried to wipe it off her face with her hands.

Severus got up and turned to Sylvester. "GET OUT!!!" he bellowed. "GET OUT AND DON'T YOU _EVER_ COME BACK!" Sylvester ran out with remarkable speed, leaving the dungeon in a state of disarray.

As Severus turned to his students, he looked at Hermione, who opened her mouth to speak. Instead of words, she let out the high trills of a nightingale. The moment she noticed what sounds she was making, she clapped her hands in front of her mouth, eyes wide as dishes. Severus sighed.

"Everyone who was hit by the potions queue up at my desk in a straight line; everyone else, gather your stuff and leave immediately."

"Here, take this." Severus handed Hermione a small vial with a purple liquid. Hermione took the vial and swallowed its contents without hesitating. Everyone else had already left, glad to be out of the dungeons and away from the potion that still covered all the walls.

"Say something, Miss Granger," Severus said impatiently, when she remained quiet.

"Is...Is he always like this?"

There was no need to ask what she meant.

"Yes, he is, so I suggest you run from here while you still can," was the wry reply.

__

And leave you? Not bloody likely. Hermione thought, but she didn't speak. She did however flush furiously. She quickly turned, grabbed her things and was out of the dungeons with a whispered 'thank you, sir'.

__

Now where did that thought come from? she thought as she ran to the Great Hall for lunch.


	4. chapter 4

Chapter 04:

"Where are you going, Hermione?" Harry asked as he saw her get up from 'their' common room table to leave.

"Do you really need to ask that?" Ron grinned.

"I thought I'd go to the library to get ahead of schedule with my homework," Hermione answered, ignoring Ron.

"If you can wait two minutes, we can walk with you. Well...a short way anyway," Harry said. When Hermione agreed to wait, both he and Ron raced to their room to get their brooms.

"How is training going?" Hermione asked as they moved towards the portrait hole.

"It's going great," Harry answered. "With Ron's strategic abilities we're sure to win the House Cup again."

Ron grinned. "I know all those games of Wizard Chess would come in handy one day."

"Well, good luck and happy practise," Hermione said as she turned to the left.

"Thanks," Ron said as he and Harry turned right.

As Hermione walked through the corridors she shook her head. _Who would have thought that Ron would become Quidditch captain for Gryffindor one day? Everyone thought it would be Harry, but I think Harry was right about Ron's thing for strategies._

Suddenly she stood still. What was that light, coming from that abandoned classroom? Thinking that it would most probably be two students, out for a game of tonsil hockey before bedtime, she briskly walked over to the door and opened it.

"What do you thi- oh, Professor Snape," she broke off mid-sentence. Instead, she stared at the situation in front of her. The Potions Master was sitting in the middle of the empty classroom on a leather and very comfortable looking chair. He had piles of magazines and books around him, and there were candles floating in the air, so that he had enough light to read.

Instead of reading, however, he was staring at her irritably and snapped: "Stop staring at me and close that door immediately."

Hermione stepped inside and closed the door. "Why are you sitting here and not in the dungeons, Sir?" she asked.

Severus looked annoyed. "That's none of your business, Miss Granger. Why are you here anyway?"

"I was on my way to the library when I saw light burning in here. I just wanted to check and see if everything was okay," Hermione explained as she stepped towards him.

"Well, you've checked, everything is okay, so leave now, before he..." Severus broke off.

"Before who does what, Sir? And why are you sitting here in an uncomfortable room when you could be in your own quarters?"

"Why are you on your way to the library when you could also work in your common room?" was the retort.

"Because too many people make too much noise... oh." Hermione fell silent as she made the connection.

"But who-"

"I'll give you one hint: he looks remarkably like me." Severus grimaced.

"You're hiding from your brother?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"The fact that we are twins does not mean we actually like each other."

"No, I suppose not," Hermione conceded.

"My brother seems to think that I can't do without his company one single evening, when in fact I'd rather not have his company at all, let alone all the time."

__

Merlin, why am I even saying this to her? It's none of her business!

"Miss Granger, you've seriously overstayed your welcome. Please leave now, before I feel the need to take points from Gryffindor for trespassing."

Hermione had only taken one step towards the door when there was a sound from the corridor.

"There's someone there," she whispered frantically as the steps came closer.

"Quickly, hide behind that curtain!" Severus hissed.

Hermione dashed for the curtains not a moment too late, because the second the curtains had stopped moving, the door to the classroom opened.

"Hello big brother, why are you here and not in your quarters?" Sylvester asked. Severus gave no reply, but only turned a page and kept on reading.

Hermione could almost hear Sylvester's shrug as he said: "Well, I don't mind where you decide to sit, as long as you're not doing the dirty with that Granger chit."

"What the hell do you mean by that, Sylvester?" the Potions Master asked coldly. "Why did you feel the need to drag Miss Granger into this?"

"Oh, come on, Severus," Sylvester snapped. "Don't pretend you're ignorant. I know full well you're not, so that charade doesn't work with me."

"I do not have the good fortune of understanding you, brother."

Sylvester started pacing the space in front of Severus.

"I know you like Miss Granger," he said. Hermione had trouble keeping herself from snorting. _Yeah, right. And Filch does cross-stitching in his free time._

"I can even understand it," Sylvester continued. "She may be a bossy know-it-all, but I have nothing against her. Well – nothing apart from that unnaturally large mouth, but I'm sure you have found a good and more importantly pleasant way to keep it occupied. The point is, Severus, that while I don't mind your temporarily enjoying her services, I have no need whatsoever for the girl to become a Snape. I think you know what I mean, brother. No Mudbloods in the family."

Hermione heard a book being snapped shut and thrown onto the floor.

"While I find your insinuations rather amusing, I'd rather have you keep them for yourself," Severus said threateningly. "I have no desire to marry Miss Granger at present, but even if that _were_ the case, it would not be of your concern. I will pretend I did not hear your scandalous remarks on Miss Granger and her mouth, but I will do so only once. The next time you won't be so lucky.

Now, Sylvester, let me give you some advice: keep your nose out of my business and especially out of my love life. It is nothing you need to be concerned about. If I were you, I'd spend my time trying to keep the job I got, because the way things are looking at the moment, you might not make it till the end of this year."

Sylvester blanched and was out of the door without another word.

"He's gone," Severus said several moments later. "You can come out now."

Hermione came from behind the curtain looking rather pale.

"Wh-why would your brother think, I mean..." she swallowed heavily.

Severus frowned. "My brother is an ignorant fool, Miss Granger. He is a stuck-up, arrogant fool, who has listened to my father's soliloquies a few too many times. It is true that my family is well known for its hatred of Muggle-borns. They have always tried to impress upon us the importance of pure blood, thereby conveniently forgetting that the first wizard by the name of Snape was a Muggle-born himself."

He looked at Hermione with something bordering on concern.

"Don't take my brother's comments too seriously," he said. "He is not worth that kind of attention."

Hermione only nodded, not really taking in what Severus was saying, because of a spinning feeling in her head.

"Thank you, Sir," she whispered hoarsely as she left for her dormitory.


	5. chapter 5

Details are in chapter 01. Thanks to my betas, Maria, Sari Ling, Lori and Susan.

author's note: sorry for taking so long to update. There were some problems with this chapter that my betas found, which took very long to get right. Thankfully all is now sorted out, so here it is! Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I'm glad you like my story so much. Happy reading!

Chapter 05:"Oh no!" Hermione groaned as she examined herself for the umpteenth time that hour. It was the day of the Yule Ball – an event that Dumbledore had reinstated after the success of the Ball during the Triwizard Tournament. She had spent the last hour trying to pick an outfit, but without success. She was just about to put on yet another dress when there was a knock on the door. Dropping the dress, she walked to the door and opened it. "Oh, hi Ginny, come in."

"Thanks," Ginny said, stepping inside. "Whoa, Hermione, what happened here?"

"Bad case of pre-Ball stress," Hermione said as she closed the door. As she looked at her room, she couldn't help but cringe. Her usually so-neat-room looked like there had been a hurricane inside it. All her clothes were spread over the entire room. She hadn't noticed it before, but now that she took a better look, she saw that one of her dresses was actually dangling on one of the corners of her full-view mirror. As if the mirror sensed she was looking at it, it said:

"Tut, tut, you're making quite a mess of me, dear. That's not like you at all."

"Sorry," Hermione muttered as she moved to take off the dress.

"Its quite all right, dear," the mirror answered pleasantly.

"I really don't know what to wear," she told Ginny. "Everything is too black, too old-fashioned or too boring."

"Say no more," Ginny grinned. You are in desperate need of my help. Well, don't worry, you've just got yourself an advice session with me, free of charge." Ginny's smile looked uncannily like the one Professor Lockhart always used to show. She looked around for a few moments and then summoned a pine-green wool dress. "Put it on," she demanded.

Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust. "That old thing? It's horrible!"

"_I_ will be the judge of that," Ginny sniffed. "On with it."

Sighing, Hermione put on the dress.

"Okay, now turn. Slowly," Ginny demanded.

Hermione did as she said while Ginny submitted her to a close scrutiny.

"It's a great colour for you," she said, "but I can see why you wouldn't want to wear it to the Ball. It's too heavy and it makes you look fat. Don't worry though," she added hastily as Hermione's face fell. "I know just the solution."

"You do?" Hermione asked doubtfully.

"Yes, I do." Ginny said decidedly, taking her wand out. "Take the dress off and put it on the bed. Great, now step back."

As Hermione stepped back, Ginny waved her wand and said some incantations that Hermione didn't recognize. The next moment the rough wool of the dress seemed to smooth into something silky looking. Before Hermione could comment, Ginny said another spell that made the dress shorter.

"Okay, put it back on now," she demanded. As Hermione slid into the dress – 'putting it on' was not something you did with a dress like that – she couldn't help asking: "Where did you learn all that?"

Ginny smiled. "My mum taught me a few useful spells," she said. "How do you think I got so many different tops?"

Hermione shrugged. "I didn't really think about it much," she admitted. " I suppose I just figured that you probably borrowed some stuff from the girls in your dormitory."

"Well, now you know better."

"I most certainly do. Er, Ginny, isn't this a bit...naked? For a Christmas Ball that is."

Ginny frowned. "Perhaps you are right."

She cast a spell to make the dress a little longer. Then she cast another spell to make the dress sparkle.

"Wow, that's fantastic!" Hermione exclaimed as she looked in the mirror. "It's like you've put real stars in the fabric!"

Ginny couldn't suppress a smile at the compliment. "You're most welcome. Now, sit down over here and let me work on your hair and make-up."

"Make-up? I can do that myself. Just a hint of blusher and lipstick should suffice, I'm sure," Hermione protested.

"Sit," Ginny demanded, and Hermione obediently sat down, waiting with renewed horror for what was to come. When Ginny twirled her wand and said some incantations she cringed inwardly. She felt her hair move a bit, but she couldn't see the result, since she wasn't sitting in front of the mirror.

"Well? What do I look like?"

"Well, you'll definitely out-stun anyone, especially Lavender and Parvati," Ginny said with a nasty grin.

"How do you mean? What did you...?" Hermione looked panicky.

"_I_ didn't do anything, but that new Professor Snape did. Lav and Pav had apparently asked our beloved Potions Master to cast a Glamour Charm on them. Well, Snape of course graciously told them that they were looking for his brother...At the same time docking Gryffindor a lot of points."

Hermione looked annoyed. "Well, _that_ wasn't very smart of them. Besides, how could they have gone to the wrong Professor Snape? Anyone can see that the eyebrows of the Potions Master are at least one millimetre thicker than those of his brother. And his eyes are a real coal-black, whereas our not-so-dear Charms Teacher's eyes are more a weak coffee-colour."

Ginny had difficulty suppressing a smile. "Right," she said. "Well, you know what he did to Pansy, so I'm sure I don't need to tell you what Lav and Pav look like now."

"Oh no," Hermione said in mock horror.

"Oh yes," Ginny replied, "and the spell hasn't worn out yet. By the looks of it, that won't happen for another couple of weeks."

Ginny moved to work on Hermione's face and accio'd her beauty case to the room. Thankfully, Hermione had the presence of mind to open the door, because the case that came flying towards and through her doorway way looked more like a large tool kit than a beauty case.

"Ginny, what _is_ all this?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Just a few bits of make up and some other handy things," Ginny replied. "Come over here again, 'Mione, and let me work my magic."

Hermione sat down again and was subjected to an hour-long make-up session by Ginny. When she was finally allowed to look in the mirror, she couldn't deny that Ginny could have been a pro. Her hair was still a bit bushy, but it seemed to sparkle with the same stars that were in her dress. Her eyebrows were elegant, her cheeks were rosy but stylish, and her brown eyes looked beautiful, surrounded by silvery eye shadow and a hint of eyeliner. Her eyelashes looked very long and thick, which made them even more beautiful, but what stunned Hermione the most, was her lips. Ginny had put on a slightly brown, sparkly lipstick that not only made her lips stand out, but also gave them a sexy, grown up look. As she examined herself in the mirror, she was sure that after tonight, no one would see her as a girl any more.

"You're looking nice," the mirror commented happily. "You should wear that more often."

"What do _you_ think, Ginny? Is this good enough to let all those boys regret not asking me to the Ball?" she asked.

Ginny nodded and shrunk her beauty case. Then she walked to Hermione and hugged her. "Trust me," she whispered, "Severus will love it." With that, she was out of the door, leaving a stunned Hermione gaping after her.

Severus was bored. Very bored. He was also very angry. As he stood in the Great Hall, looking at the Headmaster and all the staff and students who were having fun, he scowled. _Damn Dumbledore. I don't know why he has to insist that I show up. He knows I hate this sort of thing. Halloween is bad enough as it is. But what extra occasion will we be celebrating next year? Are we to have an Easter Ball as well? And an Oh-it's-Tuesday-and-the-students-should-have-some-fun-after-a-long-day-of-school-because-otherwise-they-won't-have-anything-fun-till-the-next-Ball Ball?_

"Well, well, brother," he heard an all too familiar voice say. He turned around. "Good evening Sylvester," he said. "Happy Christmas." The words seemed to be stuck in his throat, but somehow they still came out. Severus wondered if that was what Pavlov had called a conditioned response: put him in a room with his brother and a Christmas tree and sooner or later, that line would come out, no matter how hard he tried to fight it.

"Yes, Happy Christmas to you too," Sylvester said happily. "Nice outfit, I must say. And the snakes too, very...Slytherin."

"Thanks," Severus said, grinding his teeth.

"Have you thought about our...talk about Miss Granger again? I know it's been a while, but I thought I'd..."

"Ah, Headmaster, good evening and Happy Christmas," Severus said as he saw Professor Dumbledore walk towards them.

"Happy Christmas to you too, Severus. I'm glad to see you've finally decided to get into the spirit of Christmas a little," Dumbledore beamed. "I was wondering, could you follow me for a second?"

Happy for the chance to get away from Sylvester, Severus nodded. "Yes, of course. Excuse us Sylvester."

As they walked toward the other side of the Hall, Severus asked. "What is so important that it can't wait till tomorrow?"

Professor Dumbledore turned and smiled. "Nothing," he said, but I thought you wouldn't want to stay in contact with Sylvester too long. I know the two of you don't get along at all, and even though I am generally of the opinion that Christmas is a time for families to be together, I also think that in some cases, it is better to be alone. Now, I hope you'll excuse me, but the band will start playing any minute, and I will have to tell them something before they do."

"Of course," Severus said. "Thank you."

He saw that Dumbledore had thoughtfully dropped him off near the drinks table, so he got himself a glass of pumpkin juice. _Pity they don't serve anything stronger_ he thought as he let his eyes wander over the crowd. Everyone seemed to be there already, but still he felt he was waiting for something.

The moment the next person stepped into the Hall he knew what he had been waiting for. Hermione Granger had stepped into the room. Was it just him, or did everyone stop and stare? _Great galloping gargantuans!_ he thought. _Granger looks gorgeous!_ He immediately repressed that thought, but his need to stare couldn't be so easily suppressed. He had never noticed how Hermione had grown over the years. Of course, he had seen her get older, but with those school robes one never really noticed that more had changed than just the number of years. She had filled out in all the right places and even her hair seemed to look less...annoying. He watched her look round the Hall, her eyes finally coming to rest on him. He thought he could feel his heart thump in his throat when she smiled at him. Her mouth formed into a silky smooth arc, too sexy to be allowed. He swallowed heavily and nodded back sharply. At this, her smile widened and he saw her white and even teeth. The next moment, Ron had stepped up to her and the moment was lost. Severus wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Hermione frown for a moment. Then, Ron took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

"Shall we sit over there?" Ron asked Hermione after their dance. He pointed at one of the tables on one side of the room. "Sure," Hermione nodded and together they walked over. Hermione sat down, but Ron kept standing.

"Would you like a glass of pumpkin juice or something?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks," Hermione said. Ron disappeared in the crowd and Hermione squeezed her eyes shut. _Damn,_ she thought. _Please don't let Ron be in love with me._ She was fairly sure that was the case, though, so she waited for him apprehensively. She would have to say something to him sooner rather than later. It wouldn't be fair to lead him on. Lost in thought, she drew circles on the tablecloth with her fingernails.

Earlier that evening, she had decided with Ginny what she would wear. A little later she and Ginny decided to go downstairs together, a bit later than everyone else, to make a _grande entrée_, not thinking then how grand her entrance would be. When she saw everyone look at her she just mentally applauded Ginny. But then she had seen Snape and he was staring at her too. For a moment she had lost her breath, but then she had smiled at him. She wasn't sure why, but she felt that she needed to acknowledge his stare. When he had nodded, she had smiled more widely, felling all warm and fuzzy inside because of one little nod she had received. Perhaps Ginny was right after all?

Her train of thought was interrupted when the Potions Master politely cleared his throat.

"Oh, hello Professor Snape," she said, suddenly warm again. "I was lost in thought for a moment, so I didn't..."

"That's quite alright," he told her, not quite happy, but also not quite mean. "I understand you'd be more likely to think of Mr. Weasley than to look at who is coming to your table to ask for a dance."

"If you really understand that, then please explain it to me, sir, for I do not understand it at all."

"Well, I'm sure that Mr. Weasley has a lot more to offer than a dance."

"I'm sure he has, but I'd rather have him bestow all that upon someone else. I was in fact thinking of Ron, but not in the sense _you_ were thinking of. I was merely hoping that he wouldn't have the misfortune of falling in love with me, and I was just making up my mind to tell him so when he would return."

"Is that so?" Severus asked, arching one eyebrow.

"Yes it is. Now, if I remember it correctly, you said that you moved this way in order to ask me for a dance. I would be most happy to dance with you, but I hope you weren't thinking of dancing like the rest of the crowd?" She nodded at the people on the dance floor who were doing the boogie as if it was their last chance to do so.

Severus smirked. "No indeed," he said. "I was hoping to entice you to a quick-step or something similar. I'm afraid I'm not the type to boogie."

"Thank goodness," Hermione said as she took his now outstretched hand and let him lead her to the dance floor.

"Oh, great," Severus groaned as they got ready to dance. "Change of music."

Hermione smiled. "Don't worry. I'm sure you didn't do this on purpose, like other people might. So, shall we dance or shall we sit down again?"

"Dance," Severus decided, not willing to let Hermione go so soon. As he placed a hand on her shoulder blade and took her hand in the other one, they started to dance to the slow, sultry beat of the new song.

"That's a nice outfit you are wearing, Professor," Hermione said after some moments of awkward silence. "I see you've managed to mix style and chauvinism perfectly."

Severus twisted the corners of his mouth up and replied. "That's more than I can say of you. You look stunning in this dress, but it is hardly chauvinistic."

Hermione raised her eyebrows in question. "Why is that?"

"Green and silver all the way. A Gryffindor dressing in Slytherin colours. What _is_ the world coming to?" Severus teased.

"I have Ginny to thank for that," Hermione said, suddenly understanding the redhead's comment from earlier that day. "She helped me with...preparing for tonight. I think she had a hidden agenda. Oh no..."

"What?" Severus asked, suddenly concerned.

"Syl..." She didn't have time to say more, because at that moment he felt someone tap his shoulder.

"Hello big brother, did you miss me?" Sylvester said in a false air of jolliness.

"No, not at all," Severus replied, turning back to Hermione.

"Not so fast brother," Sylvester stepped in. "You can't monopolize our lovely Head Girl all night. I think it's my turn now." With that, Hermione was swept away by Sylvester.

The moment they were out of Severus's range of hearing, Sylvester turned his cold eyes to her and said: "Miss Granger, we need to talk. Or rather, _I_ will do the talking and _you_ will listen. Now I know you are a Muggle-born and therefore ignorant of certain matters in the wizarding world, but let me enlighten you. In our world, there are certain families who have over the centuries gained a lot of respect. The Snapes are considered to be one of those families and because of that, we have very high values for ourselves. For centuries the Snapes have been the cream of the crop of wizards, simply because inferiority is not accepted." Hermione saw the gleam in his eye, and suspected that this was the speech Snape Sr. had used to brainwash his kids. She was sure Muggle-borns were about to be named some time soon; she soon found out how right she was, for Sylvester continued: "There are no Snape squibs, and none of the Snapes have ever married Muggle-borns."

Here, Hermione opened her mouth to interfere, but Sylvester saw it and snapped: "I will _not_ be interrupted, so don't speak unless I specifically ask you to do so. Now, as I was saying, this has been the situation for centuries, and _you_ will _not_ be the one to change that. I don't know what idle hopes you been entertaining, but it will not be so. You will never marry my brother, no matter how hard you try to ensnare him."

"May I speak?" Hermione asked quietly. It cost her a lot of will power, but she wasn't going to show him how angry she was. It was just what he wanted and she would not lower herself to that.

"You may," Sylvester conceded.

"Did your brother ever mention that he wanted to marry me?" Hermione asked, already knowing that it had not been so. Still, his answer seemed to cause a sharp stab of pain for a moment.

"No, he did not say anything of the kind."

"Then why do you take the trouble of warning me? I do not think I am ensnaring anyone, least of all your brother, but for a moment there you made me think that he had expressed a desire to marry me. Now, that isn't the case, so your depriving me of a dance with your brother just to tell me that I shouldn't think of marrying him seems rather pointless. Even besides that, I have no plans of getting married any time soon, not to your brother nor to anyone else. Let me assure you however, that if I were to choose a partner, it would not be of your concern whom I chose. Don't worry, though, since your brother doesn't want to marry me, and at present I don't want to marry him, he is quite safe." She had said this as calmly as she could, but inside, her mind was reeling.

"He'd better be," Sylvester said. "If he were to choose the wrong kind of person, my parents would sever all ties with him and leave him penniless. He would be a disgrace to us Snapes. I'm sure you wouldn't want to be the cause of such misery."

With one last nasty look, Sylvester turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Hermione standing alone on a very crowded dance floor.

For a moment, she just stood there; the next moment she stormed off the dance floor and out of the Great Hall. Severus saw this and followed her. She was out of sight when he finally made it out of the Great Hall himself, but he met the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron as he was about to turn back.

"Do you know where Hermione Granger is?" Severus asked them.

"I have no idea," the Bloody Baron lied unconvincingly.

"Oh, shoo, don't lie to him!" the Grey Lady scolded gently. She turned to Severus and smiled. "She was on her way to the lake just now."

With a nod of thanks and a glare to the Baron, Snape sped past them and went on his way to the lake.

When he finally found her, she was sitting on a bench, shivering with cold, but not seeming to care. He took off his frock coat and wrapped it around her shoulders, startling her.

"Oh, it's you," she said before turning back. Snape sat down in silence and waited for her to speak. When she remained silent, he frowned. He wasn't good at this sort of thing.

"Er...what did my brother say to you?" he asked.

For a moment, he thought she wasn't going to answer him, but then she said, still staring in the distance: "He told me that no matter what I had in mind, marrying you is out of the question."

Severus nodded. He had expected that to be the case. He had seen Sylvester's eyes glaze over and he had remembered that look from his father, during one of his speeches. "So...what did you reply?"

Hermione smiled. "I told him that I had no intention of marrying you at present and that my choice in partner was not his concern, no matter who I would choose."

"Right." Severus didn't know why, but he felt strangely relieved at that. It wasn't anything Sylvester could see as a threat, but it was enough to send his heart straight into overdrive.

"Professor Snape, please don't think I'm trying to ruin the moment or anything, but I think we should head back. And inside, I will say goodbye to you for this evening. Perhaps it is best if we're not seen dancing together again."

Severus got up and held out his hand. "All right, let's go back," he said. Hermione took his hand and got up. Putting her hand in the crook of his elbow, Snape started walking back to Hogwarts. They walked in companionable silence, until they were close to the front door. Then, Severus said: "I don't see why we shouldn't dance together. You really shouldn't care about Sylvester too much, there's nothing he can do."

"No, but other people may comment."

"They won't comment just because I chose to ask you for a dance and you had no excuse to say no," he joked lamely. Hermione didn't reply, but she thought of Ginny's remark earlier that day. When they had reached the doors to the Great Hall, they stood still. "So, shall we go in?"

Hermione gently shook her head and said: "You go in. I think I need an early night in. Thank you for the talk and the walk."

"Thank you for the dance."

"Good night Professor Snape."

"Good night Miss Granger."

She turned and slowly walked up the stairs, not daring to look back. Had she done that, she would have seen him stare after her; he stood there till she had been long gone. Then, he turned and walked towards his private quarters. He had had enough of the party for one night.

In her bedroom, Hermione stood in front of the mirror. "You've really done it this time," she told herself. "What are you thinking, falling in love with a Professor? You've got to be crazy."

"There, there, don't be so hard on yourself," the mirror said sleepily. "You won't be his student much longer."

"I know," Hermione replied, "but I'm sure he could never love me back. He way out of my league."

"If that's true, then I'm afraid falling in love with him _is_ a rather pointless thing to do," the mirror mumbled, sounding rather annoyed that Hermione would wake her for something like that.

Hermione sadly turned to her bed, and looked at the frock coat. She knew she ought to return it, for it was probably very expensive, but she couldn't. Not now. Instead, she got into bed and put the coat over her as an extra cover. Inhaling the scent of her Potions Master, she smiled at his gallantry and fell asleep.


End file.
